1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ink jet recording medium suitable for a variety of applications including overhead presentations, and graphic art, engineering, and home office projects. The ink jet recording medium comprises a substrate coated with an ink absorbent layer and a humidity barrier layer.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Ink jet printing technology is used for a variety of applications including overhead presentation, graphic art, engineering, and home office applications. An ink jet recording medium must meet important performance criteria such as low ink migration, large color gamut, good color fidelity and high image resolution. A particularly important performance criterion is the ability to dry very quickly after ink application. As ink jet printing technology advances and printing speed increases, it is important that the ink jet recording media dry quickly enough to keep up with the speed of the printer. It is also important that the ink jet recording medium function well in a variety of environmental humidity ranges.
The following media are known from the literature, each of which differs significantly from the present inventive ink jet recording medium.
Misuda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,275,867 provides a recording film comprising a transparent substrate, a porous alumina hydrate layer formed on the substrate and an opaque porous layer laminated on the alumina hydrate layer.
Atherton et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,805 provides a film medium useful in ink jet printing, which film comprises a transparent or opaque substrate, having on at least one side thereof an annotatable water-insoluble, water absorptive and ink-receptive matrix, said matrix comprised of a hydrogel complex and a pigment.
Sakaki et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,182,175 provides a recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink-receiving layer provided thereon wherein the ink receiving layer contains water-insoluble and amorphous basic aluminum salt. The aluminum salt is represented by the general formula Al.sub.x (OH).sub.y X.sub.z where X is an acid radical and x, y, and z are respectively positive integers and satisfy the relations of z=3X-y, and x/z.gtoreq.3.
Misuda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,730 provides a recording sheet comprising a substrate and a porous layer of ink absorbent formed thereon, wherein the porous layer of ink absorbent is made mainly of pseudoboehmite.
Edwards et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,956,230 provides a transparent sheet for use with ink jet printers and pen plotters which utilize hydrophilic solvent-based inks. The sheet comprises a transparent backing bearing on at least one major surface thereof a transparent coating formed of a blend of at least one hydrophilic polymer containing a carbonylamido functional group and at least one hydrophobic polymer substantially free of acidic functional groups, hydroxyl groups, &gt;NH groups and --NH.sub.2 groups.
Misuda et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,166 provides a carrier medium for a coloring matter, which comprises an ink absorbent and a substance present on the surface of the absorbent, which has an adsorptivity of from 20 to 100 mg/g.
Otouma et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,356 provides a recording sheet comprising a sheet of paper and porous particles provided on the paper surface, said porous particles having an average pore size of from 10 to 5000 Angstroms, a pore volume of from 0.05 to 3.0 cc/g and an average particle size of from 0.1 to 50 .mu.m.
While many ink jet recording medium designs are available, there remains a need for an ink jet recording medium possessing good image quality that is fast drying in various environmental conditions. The present invention provides such an ink jet recording medium.